


you're a mess to be made

by akissontitan



Series: In the Nicest Way [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, JUST, Multi, Polyamory, Trans, Trans Characters, bigender tanaka, cooking adventures, trans girl asahi, trans guy noya, very trans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akissontitan/pseuds/akissontitan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cooking wasn't really a skill any of them possessed, which meant for the last week they'd been subsisting on food that came from a packet and took two minutes to microwave. Ryuu didn't think of that as a <em>bad</em> thing - some of his favourite food came from packets! - but he was beginning to discover that there actually <em>was</em> a limit to how many times someone could eat instant ramen for dinner. And lunch.</p><p>Occasionally breakfast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you're a mess to be made

**Author's Note:**

> This can be read stand-alone but I'd recommend reading the whole series for Maximum Context!
> 
> I realised only after I wrote this that I penned a ficlet with a veery similar premise a few weeks ago ;; but it's my FAVOURITE TROPE and honestly Ryuu Making Mistakes practically writes itself.
> 
> Title from "a mess to be made" by the format!

Cooking wasn't exactly Ryuu's forte, and largely he was okay with that. No fun in being good at everything, after all.

The thing was, cooking wasn't Asahi or Noya's best skill either, which meant for the last week they'd been subsisting on food that came from a packet and took two minutes to microwave. Ryuu didn't think of it as a _bad_ thing - some of his favourite food came from packets! - but he was beginning to discover that there actually _was_ a limit to how many times someone could eat instant ramen for dinner. And lunch.

Occasionally breakfast.

It wasn't enough to inspire Ryuu to go do something stupid like buy _vegetables_ or something - after all, they'd only finished unpacking their stuff two days ago, and he was sure that once everyone was settled in, they'd find some way to incorporate actual nutrients into their diet. But, when he walked past the convenience store on his way home from uni, he couldn't resist the urge to zip in and pick up something special for himself and his partners, just to give them all a break from their microwave dinner tedium.

He stared down at the packet of cake mix in his hands.

Okay. Maybe it wasn't made from scratch, or "healthy". But this one required the use of their (sad, neglected) oven, so that surely counted for something.

Ryuu tore open the box, skimming the instructions for what to do with the contents. The box said it would take 25 minutes to cook, which was gonna be way too long if he wanted to surprise Nishinoya and Asahi with the baked treat, since they both came home from work at around 5. He eyed the microwave clock nervously. 4:40. Maybe if he put the batter in cupcake trays it'd cook quicker.

He wasn't sure why, but he kind of expected the whole process to be harder somehow, as if baking things was a skill reserved only for seasoned veterans like mums and teachers. He took a second to flick on the tv and turn it to the channel that always had the best k-pop idol videos, whisking his bowl of cake batter, egg and water in time with the fast-paced tunes. _Too fuckin' easy_. He could _totally_ be a mum.

The goopy mixture spooned rather nicely into a tray of little cupcake patties. His own mother was kind of insistent about donating a bunch of kitchen appliances to the newly established household, and right now Ryuu was pretty glad for that. He tapped open the oven door with his foot, and slid the-- _uh oh_. Forgot to preheat the oven.

His eyes snapped to the microwave once more. 

4:52.

Eight minutes on the clock.

He could do this.

Once, when he was up late in high school, he caught a re-run of Iron Chef on tv. The guest chef had been cooking some sort of desert thing, and he'd used a blow torch to make it all golden and drool-worthy. He'd lost the contest against the Iron Chef, but Ryuu was sure that the tactic was worth a shot.

Ryuu didn't have a blow torch, but he did have a lighter, and that would just have to do.

Slowly, with a trembling hand, he took one cupcake out of the tray and applied the flame directly below it.

The paper patty holding the cupcake in place immediately went up in flames.

He hooted out a string of profanities as he chucked the flaming projectile into the sink, where the fire fizzled and (thankfully) died out quickly. Dodged a call to emergency services there.

_4:56._

Trying to hold the lighter upside down and applying heat to the top of the cupcake didn't seem to do much aside from burn his fingers.

_4:59._

The irony was not lost on him as he shoved the remaining cupcakes in the microwave in a desperate effort to produce something with a moderately solid consistency. He watched them spin unblinkingly, creases furrowing in his brow as most patties buckled under the weight of the mixture, and some others began producing a very unique smell that he could only describe as _a mistake_.

Ryuu was considering booting up his x-box and trying to fry the cakes on the console when he heard the apartment door being shoved open.

"HOME!" Noya cried, rounding the corner into the kitchen with Asahi in tow. "Jesus, what the fuck is that smell?!"

Asahi was cringing like she'd witnessed some sort of crime, and honestly, Ryuu felt like that wasn't far from what had occurred. He looked from the charred black lump of coal in the sink, to the now-empty cupcake tray and mixing bowl, to the microwave behind his head, still emitting _eau de regret_ and accompanied now by a fine grey smoke.

"I was... well. I was _trying_ to make something special for you guys, but I think something went, uh, a bit... _horrifically wrong_."

Noya approached him and clapped one hand on his shoulder, staring up at him with shining eyes. Probably from the smoke curling outward from the microwave. "Ryuunosuke... as my partner and best friend of years, I appreciate your efforts dearly. That being said, I'm _not fucking putting that shit in my mouth._ "

Asahi pushed into the kitchen beside them and pushed open the closest window, where the demonic cupcake fumes began to escape into the smog of the city. 

"Well... I got paid today, so maybe we could go out and buy something nice before the bakery down the street closes?" Asahi suggested, resuming her position hovering at the entry of the kitchen. She seemed keen to evacuate the premises and Ryuu understood the feeling, although he took a moment to mentally kick his own ass for not thinking of _the bakery, of-fucking-course he could've just gone to the bakery._

After a quick re-styling of hair and changing of clothes, the three of them trampled down the apartment building stairs and set out on the short walk to the store, the brisk evening air giving them the perfect excuse to hold hands and huddle close.

**Author's Note:**

> (Ryuu and Asahi got cinnamon buns and Noya got a pear tart and a solid jab in the ribs for implying he could bake better than Ryuu's attempt.)
> 
> Hit me up at [the tumblies](http://nixiad.tumblr.com/) or [the tweeps](https://twitter.com/caointeach) and talk to me about how all of karasuno is dating each other, probably
> 
> Leave a comment if you had fun!


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